Along cold winter, something like the one we've been hit with this year, gave rise to borscht Malorossisky - that most magnificent Eastern European soup. It is deep purple in color, sweet and sour in taste, and it's a hot and incomparably satisfying source of comfort.
In the northern Baltic countries - Ukraine, Russia and Poland - winter means dealing with short days, freezing cold and a meager yield from the earth. During the Middle Ages one of the solutions for this was a soup made from brsh, a white wild root that belongs to the carrot family. To the brsh was added cabbage, forest mushrooms and any bone or piece of meat on hand. The soup turned vinegary from the fermentation of the vegetable. The slightly sour taste was needed to create variety in the daily diet, which mostly consisted of boring starches - dense black bread and watery porridges. To heighten the sour taste, a sour cream (smetana ) was added to the soup before serving, which also gave it a thick and pleasing consistency.
In the mid-16th century the brsh root was replaced with red beetroot, which was slightly less red than the kind that's familiar to us today but had a dominant presence and sweetness. Its sweetness added depth to the soup, and in combination with the sharp and spicy vinegar, the soup became a sweet and sour celebration of flavors.
Borscht may be eaten hot or cold. In the hot version there will be chunks of vegetables floating in the purple liquid. Hot borscht can also be blended or grated, which makes it turn a pinkish color and results in a smooth and thick consistency. Kashrut observers can add egg yolks in place of sour cream after grinding the soup.
Making proper borscht takes guts, sensitivity and a light hand when it comes to seasoning. The amount of vinegar the soup absorbs is greater than it seems, because the sour aroma dissipates quickly. This is a misleading soup whose taste changes within minutes of being on the fire. The secret is to season it with vinegar, salt and black pepper a moment before serving.
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Borscht Malorossisky (Ukrainian )
This is a classic borscht with powerful flavors and a wonderful fragrance. It is important to use medium beets because more mature beets lose their smooth consistency and will be hard to slice. The beets can be diced small or else grated roughly as in the original version. This is an easy task for the slicing blade of a food processor or a good manual kitchen grater.
Ingredients (8 servings) :
1 kg. rump or beef neck, cut into medium cubes
3 ltr. cold water
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1 tsp. whole allspice berries
4 medium beetroots (net weight 1/2 kg. ), peeled and grated roughly
1/2 celery root, peeled and diced small
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion, diced small
1 large carrot, peeled and diced small
1 potato, peeled and diced small
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 small head white cabbage, chopped into narrow strips
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. black pepper
3 tbsp. apple vinegar
1/2 cup chopped dill
1 minced garlic clove that's been soaked in 2 tbsp. apple vinegar for 30 mins.
Sour cream, creme fraiche or thick yogurt to serve
Chopped dill for garnish
Preparation:
Place the cubes of meat in a large pot. Add three liters of cold water, bring to a gentle boil and skim off the foam. Add the bay leaves, black pepper and allspice berries, and cook uncovered on a low fire for one and a half hours, keeping the pot bubbling gently throughout.
Add all the vegetables, tomato paste, spices and three tablespoons of apple vinegar. Add water to cover plus another cupful. Cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes. Add the dill and soaked garlic together with all of the vinegar. Cover and turn off the fire. After two minutes adjust the seasoning and balance the flavors by adding a little vinegar, salt and black pepper.
Serve with sour cream and chopped dill, creme fraiche or thick yogurt, and chopped dill to garnish.
Borscht Moskovsky
This soup has a spectacular color and a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth consistency. Serve either hot or cold.
Ingredients (8 servings) :
6 marrowbones
3 ltr. cold water
1 leek
1 carrot
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1 tsp. whole allspice berries
5 beetroots, peeled and diced large
1 celery root, peeled and diced large
1 large onion, diced large
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 small head red cabbage, chopped into broad strips
2 potatoes, peeled and diced large
2 blanched tomatoes, diced large
2 sprigs thyme and 5 sprigs dill, tied together with kitchen twine
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground black pepper
4 tbsp. apple vinegar
1 chopped garlic clove that's been soaked in 2 tbsp. apple vinegar for 30 mins.
Sour cream, creme fraiche, or thick yogurt to serve
Chopped dill or scallions for garnish
Preparation:
Place the marrowbones in a large pot, add three liters of cold water, bring to a gentle boil and skim off the foam from the surface. Add the leek, carrot, bay leaves, black peppercorns and allspice berries, and cook uncovered over a low flame for two hours, keeping the pot gently bubbling throughout. Strain and reserve the liquid for the next step.
In the same pot place all the vegetables, thyme and dill sprigs tied with kitchen twine. Pour the cooking liquid from the marrowbones to cover the vegetables plus another cupful. Add water if there isn't enough. Add the spices and vinegar. Cover the pot and cook for 40 minutes.
Remove the thyme and dill, and use a stick blender to puree the remaining contents until smooth. Reheat, add the soaked garlic together with all of the vinegar, cover and turn off the fire. After two minutes adjust the seasoning and balance the flavors by adding vinegar, salt and black pepper. Serve with sour cream, creme fraiche or thick yogurt, and chopped dill or scallions to garnish.
Optional: Sprinkle the marrowbones from the broth with coarse salt, black pepper and a few drops of olive oil. Serve the soup alongside them with dense black bread spread with butter.